The LaCrosse Tribune reports.
"I’m writing to let you know how sorry I am for the sensationalistic media attention UW-L has received as a result of a speaker I brought to campus to help us celebrate Free Speech Week,” Gow said in a statement, obtained by the Tribune on Monday. “Regrettably, in many media headlines and accounts the speaker’s profession completely overwhelmed her message,” he continued. “I admit that in inviting her to present at our university I was naive about this possibility, and I have learned much from it.”...
On Nov. 1, [the "porn star" Nina] Hartley spoke to about 70 students and staff at Centennial Hall.... “The word ‘pornography’ has such a pejorative connotation — it’s been caught up in a lot of emotionally charged conversations,” Hartley said. “It’s OK to like porn. It’s OK to not like porn. And it’s OK to be confused by porn. You are where you are, and you are who you are.”
Hartley is on the board of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, which supports sexual freedom. She's lectured at Harvard and Dartmouth and commands a $5,000 speaking fee. She's for free speech, not giving her speech for free. I'd prefer to see her defended as a legitimate speaker. But...
Gow has... fended off questions about why the university was tight-lipped about Hartley’s appearance, especially since it was tied to National Freedom of Speech Week. The event did not appear on the university’s online events calendar and, unlike many events, was not made known to the press....
Those questions still need answering. Reimbursing the fee isn't an answer.
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52 comments:
Universities still do a National Freedom of Speech Week?
That's a surprise! though, i suppose: All Speech is Free... Some Speech is Freer than Others
Hartley is a jolly, likable character. Built like the proverbial shithouse too.
She must be an entertaining speaker.
La Crosse is way out there in the boonies of WI. Probably old fashioned Lutheran.
Since everybody is watching porn (but nobody will admit to it), I'm not sure what kind of "educating" needs to be done on this subject.
Here’s the solution. Book Donna Rice. I understand she is an anti-porn advocate.
And she should be awarded a medal for saving us from Gary Hartpence.
I wonder how many conservative speakers were invited to speak at Free Speech Week. And paid.
"why the university was tight-lipped about Hartley’s appearance, especially since it was tied to National Freedom of Speech Week"
The reaction explains it. It used to be just righty moral crusaders objected to porn. Now lefty neo-Puritans do as well. Or claim to.
The university was tight-lipped. The porn star, not so much.
Poor Nina should have claimed she had sex with Trump. Fees would have been $100K and no complaints either.
Was there outrage when she spoke elsewhere?
Perfect example of cultural marxism and whore feminism. Also the long history of pusillanimous university professors continues.
This the same UW La Crosse and Joe Gow that offered counseling to traumatized students who saw "Trump 2016" written in chalk on the sidewalk.
You guys are misplacing Hartley.
She started her career in the old Mitchell Brothers theater and films in San Francisco.
Back then, it was all about partying, cocaine and booze.
She may had added on some ideological frosting for the purposes of conforming to the times, but she started her career as a good old fashioned, hard partying whore.
Porn star is being outcompeted by free porn, so not a great career choice. Probably wife of a rich guy is the best bet.
“The word ‘pornography’ has such a pejorative connotation — it’s been caught up in a lot of emotionally charged conversations,” Hartley said. “It’s OK to like porn. It’s OK to not like porn. And it’s OK to be confused by porn. You are where you are, and you are who you are.”
Brilliant. Well worth the fee. /s
What did she talk about?
Is speech free at U-W if they cow Gow?
So the chancellor gets to meet his favorite porn star and the school pays $5,000.
What is the problem with having her speak, paid or not? She's not some random porn star that he booked to talk, she's actually active in the movement to defend and protect free speech. Maybe not an expert, per se, but sounds knowledgeable on the topic.
Every porn actress is a "star," but not every actress is a star. Why is that?
He allowed this because she gave/would give him a Cleveland Steamer. Upon receiving said Steamer, or 2nd thoughts afterwards, realizing it wasn't all that great, decided to reimburse the university.
I would say that it was a Politically boneheaded move of the Chancellor of UW-L to do this. Now realizing that, too late, he's trying to fix things.
Democrats in the Wisconsin Legislature aren't exactly Free-Speech advocates any more. And Republicans there are not ones to overtly champion porn.
I question why he didn't see this coming. Was the little head ruling the big head in this case?
Every porn actress is a "star," but not every actress is a star. Why is that?
"Starlet" brings up the rental of her body. "Ingenue" certainly doesn't work. Legitimate theater actresses, whose social status was once one rung about whore, don't like the association analyzed.
"Every porn actress is a 'star,' but not every actress is a star. Why is that?"
In non-porn movies, good actors outnumber the stars; in porn movies, stars outnumber the good actors.
(Veronica Hart was a porn star and a very good actor.)
In the 60s and 70s, porn producers tried to sell "porn with a plot."
That went nowhere, and we're back to the short porn reel that gets directly down to business that has ruled since the invention of movies.
Porn stars are women (and men) who display a cheerful, enthusiastic love of what they are doing. They are rare. Lucy Thai is one of the best of all time. She loves what she's doing and conveys that with great skill. When she was young, Nina Hartley was great.
In my work as a video producer, I learned that acting is a skill almost anybody can learn in a short time. The Hollywood system of old limited competition, thus disguising this reality. In the same way, just about anybody can master three chord rock. It just used to be a hell of a lot more expensive to produce it, thus creating scarcity and the illusion that playing rock required incredible talent.
What killed rock and roll? Cheap recording and distribution.
As more and more people learn the basics of acting and video production, the Hollywood star system, I predict, will collapse.
How many Conservatives did he book during National Free Speech week?
I don't know and I'm not looking it up. But if he is at all like other colleges around the nation, the answer is 'none'.
In the 60s and 70s, porn producers tried to sell "porn with a plot."
One of my favorite porn experiences (did anyone else hear the slamming shut of Althouse's mind at that phrase?) was in the 80's in the military.
Some guy put in a porn tape for the shop and there is Bubbles being pronged...but the soundtrack is several talking heads discussing nuclear freeze agreements as one would snore to on PBS.
"What the fuck is this?"
Well, THIS was the short lived definition of porn as being 'something without social merit'. So canny porn producers who believed in free speech put some 'social merit' on their porn so it could sell.
Lots of cognitive dissonance watching that tape.
Holy Smokes! I looked at a recent picture of Nina and she looks like a few miles of rough road. What is she, 28?
pornstars, like children, should be seen and not heard
stevew (7:58am):
"What is the problem with having her speak, paid or not?"
The problem is that it's a state university, so tax dollars are being used to subsidize a show that the vast majority of students aren't interested in. If she was paid her usual rate of $5,000, that comes to more than $70 per student for the 70 who could be bothered to show up. If only 70 showed up when the show was free, how many would have come if they'd had to pay $70 each? I suspect zero, or maybe one desperate loser hoping that if he were the only one there it would turn into a 'hands-on' show and he would get his money's worth. At $5 each, maybe 20? At $2 each, a fair number, but surely less than 70, if that's the total for free. So the university spent $5,000 on a show that was objectively worth $100 or so. Sounds like 'waste, fraud, and abuse' to me.
He admits to being 'naive'? This idiot needs to be fired because he is too stupid to be a chancellor.
What is she, 28?
lol, she's 60. Her first movies were in 1984.
She's spent decades in an industry that is one of the most censored and most at risk of First Amendment violations as well as the most likely to approach First Amendment gray areas, which gives her a certain perspective with a certain value. It doesn't make her any kind of "expert" per se, but a lot of your actual experts also are clowns, you know.
" Sydney said...
Every porn actress is a "star," but not every actress is a star. Why is that?"
small casts...
Lead Actor
Lead Actress
almost zero supporting actors/actresses
some extras (e.g. extra dicks who don't speak.
a couple of stunt doubles for the O scenes
In porn, you're either a star or a one hit wonder.
What is the educational purpose of a college sponsoring a porn star talk?
Maybe it's for kids who are $150k in debt for a crappy education.
They need to work somewhere.
In a way, Porn is the Plains Indian of the film industry. They use every part of the porn star.
They must not have hardly pubicized her talk if only 70 students came.
mccullough said...
So the chancellor gets to meet his favorite porn star and the school pays $5,000.
McCullough pretty much puts his/her finger on the nub, so to speak.
Ralph L said...
"They must not have hardly pubicized her talk if only 70 students came."
70 people can keep a secret if 69 of them are dead.
Look at it this way: They're currently trying to make Jim Acosta a First Amendment hero. He'll surely get speaking engagements out of it. And who's the bigger whore?
Her and Vanessa Del Rio getting it on back in the day. Nothing else comes close
70 people can keep a secret if 69 of them are dead.
Don't step on my puns Bob, Square Pants.
I had a friend, when I was post-doc circa 1994-95, got to visit Ms. Hartley back-stage and take a very racy photo with her after an appearance at a strip club in Atlanta. After she was done with the performance, she offered this back stage visit to the best question from the audience. My friend asked her something along the lines of whether she preferred working with certain of her male colleagues as actors or when they were directors. All the other questions she got asked would make you blush in embarrassment.
Made up apology?
UW-La Crosse got the necessary publicity with this decision - end of story.
Ms. Hartley's politics are distinctly far left in nature, but the lady has a great deal smarts and savvy.
@ Ralph L said...
"only 70 students came"
When the chancellor booked her he was hoping for 69.
The New Puritian Age....here it comes.
Lots of politicians want to promise "free" college like they have in Europe. I'm guessing those European universities don't make it rain with their speaking fees.
Yancey Ward wrote: "Ms. Hartley's politics are distinctly far left in nature, but the lady has a great deal smarts and savvy."
And is (as David Letterman used to say) "one fabulous babe," even today. (Last I saw.)
I didn't know about her politics. She's probably making the same mistake Hefner did: supporting Democrats because they tend to be (or used to be, anyway) pro-First Amendment. They never seem to get that a giant, all-powerful State will sooner or later come to gore YOUR ox. Or as someone (perhaps Nock) once wrote, "The State can only do things FOR you in proportion to its power to do things TO you."
"They must not have hardly pubicized her talk if only 70 students came."
[Suggested promotion]
Following Ms. Hartley's brief comments her 1987 video, "The Co-ed and the Boys of Alpha House" will be shown.
Standing room only.
I have a signed copy of Debbie Duz Dishes.
On Beta.
Hartley isn't just a porn star. She's a writer, director, advocate and sex educator. She's very good at what she does. And the University should never apologize for hosting her.
How many Trump supporters were invited to speak during "National Freedom of Speech Week" at UW-La Crosse?
How many evangelical Christians?
How many conservatives?
How many Republicans?
My guess: 0 x 4
What Greg P said.
Exactly who is blocking Porn Stars from speaking these days?
Freedom of speech but no pictures of Muhammad!
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